Some Illinois politicians are making a push to eliminate time limits on when people can be prosecuted for child sex crimes.
The move was prompted by the case of former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert.
Although he pleaded guilty to violating federal banking laws, Hastert's 15-month sentence took into account his admission that he sexually abused teenage boys when he was a high school wrestling coach.
The judge expressed frustration that Hastert couldn’t be prosecuted for those sex crimes. State Sen. Scott Bennett, a Democrat from Champaign, is heading a Senate committee looking at eliminating that statute of limitations.
“There’s a lot of reasons why a victim may not feel comfortable coming forward about what has happened to them," he said.
Survivors have 20 years after their 18th birthday to come forward, but advocates say even that's not long enough.
